The Taliban and representatives of the Afghan government have restarted secret talks in the Gulf state of Qatar, senior sources within the insurgency and the Kabul government have told the Guardian.

Who would try to stop this? According to a:

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A western official in Kabul said a spate of arrests by Pakistani security forces of senior Taliban officials suggests Pakistan’s intelligence agencies are trying to “re-establish control over the process”.

Yet another think tank paper to read one day, with a renowned SME and a Kings War Studies professor:

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This new RUSI Briefing Paper explores the new Taliban leadership landscape and, within this, the potential for restarting peace talks.

Based on interviews with Taliban personnel the paper argues that there is substantial discord within the group and in particular, that the new Taliban emir, Maulawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, has failed to exert his authority.